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The Lovers and the Despot

After the collapse of their glamorous romance, a famous South Korean director and actress are kidnapped by movie-obsessed North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il. Forced to make films in the world’s weirdest state, they get a second chance at love, but only one chance at escape.

Director: Ross Adam, Robert Cannan
Year: 2016
Time: 97 min

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ReadA Kim Jong-il Production, a 353-page book on written by Paul Fischer and first published in 2015 if you are intrigued by the story of Choi Eun-hee and Shin Sang-ok’s and want to delve deeper. For another interesting perspective on Kim Jong-il’s extensive ideas behind film, read one of the many books he wrote on the subject, including The Cinema and Directing and On the Art of the Cinema.

Learn more about the work of the Human Rights Watch that works around the globe to collect data on human rights’ abuses, and continue to work for justice in North Korea. Consider donating to their cause.

Watch one of the many films Shin Sang-ok produced during his time as a director.

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The Strange History of North Korea’s Communists

“North Korea is marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of its Communist Party, the sole controller of the state. Kim Jong-un, the grandson of the man who cemented the party’s rule, will preside over spectacular celebrations.”

Review: ‘A Kim Jong-il Production’ Recounts a Bizarre Legacy

“What do Laurence Olivier, Ingrid Bergman and Kim Jong-il have in common? “A Kim Jong-il Production,” Paul Fischer’s elaborately complicated book about that North Korean dictator’s grand passion for cinema, may be the first and last time anybody answers that question.”

The Producer From Hell

“The North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il has a passion for cinema. But he could never find a director to realise his vision. So he kidnapped one from the South, jailed him and fed him grass, then forced him to shoot a socialist Godzilla. Now, for the first time, Shin Sang-ok tells the full story of his bizarre dealings with – and eventual flight from – the world’s most dangerous dictator.”